1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and, in particular, to manufacturing aircraft structures. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for performing operations on an aircraft structure using an autonomous tooling system.
2. Background
Manufacturing aircraft structures may be a complex and time-consuming process. Thousands of parts may be designed and assembled to complete an aircraft structure. These parts may be progressively assembled by moving the aircraft structure to different locations in a manufacturing facility.
Various assembly operations are performed on the aircraft structure in each of the locations. These operations may be performed manually by human operators using handheld tools. For example, without limitation, drilling, countersinking, fastening, coupling, sealing, coating, inspecting, or other suitable types of operations may be performed on portions of an aircraft structure by the human operators. The human operators also may move the parts between locations to orient those parts relative to the aircraft structure.
To satisfy ergonomic considerations for the human operators, existing solutions may require assembly to be completed while the aircraft structure is in a vertical orientation. For instance, when assembling a wing, some currently used systems orient the wing with the trailing edge down and the leading edge up. Human operators maneuver about the wing to drill, inspect, and install fasteners in holes in the wing.
Once operations are performed on one portion of the aircraft structure, the aircraft structure must be reoriented so that the human operators can reach other portions of the aircraft structure. This process may involve disconnecting the aircraft structure from fixtures holding it in place, flipping the aircraft structure, and reconnecting the aircraft structure to the fixtures.
This assembly process may take more time or use more resources than desired. For example, the time needed to disconnect, flip, and reconnect the aircraft structure significantly decreases the production rate of the facility. As another example, performing operations using human operators may take more time or increase the cost of manufacturing more than desired, as countless labor hours are needed to assemble a single aircraft structure. Further, as more human operators are used, additional ergonomic considerations must be taken into account.
Other existing assembly solutions employ fixed robotic devices to perform operations on the aircraft structure. These robotic devices may be bolted to the floor of the manufacturing facility. With a bolted robotic device, the reach and orientation of an end effector on the robotic device may be limited. As a result, positioning and accuracy of the end effector may be more difficult than desired. Moreover, fixed robotic devices may not meet manufacturing requirements for more flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing facilities. Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus that provide a more efficient, higher production rate process for assembling aircraft structures.